Market Update

The Japanese services sector sentiment index increased during the month of July, which showed some improvement in business confidence despite the continuing concerns about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Japanese Cabinet’s Labor Survey of taxi drivers, hotel workers and restaurant employees – dubbed “economy watchers” for their proximity …

Car sales in China jumped 16.4% in July compared to last year, the fourth consecutive month of gains as the world’s largest auto market retreated from its lowest levels during the country’s lockdown due to the Coronavirus. Data from the wholesale sales released by the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers …

While flashing another red signal concerning the US-China trade relations, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) quotes US government notice while saying that goods made in Hong Kong for export to the United States will have to be labeled “Made in China” after September 25. It said that 45 days …

Japan’s current account surplus narrowed to the lowest level in five years in June as exports took a hit due to the Covid-19 on global demand. The current account surplus was JPY 167.5 billion ($1.58 billion), the smallest monthly surplus since January 2015, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday, according …

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has set the yuan reference rate at 6.9711 versus Monday’s fix at 6.9649.

White House (WH) National Security Adviser O’Brien said in a statement early Tuesday, the US is ‘deeply troubled’ by the arrest of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai. His comments come after the geopolitical tensions intensified between the US and China after the police in Hong Kong arrested Jimmy Lai, …

The UK has reported mixed labor figures. The unemployment rate remained depressed at 3.9% in June, a result of the government’s furlough schemes. Wages dropped by 1.2% when including bonuses and -0.2% when excluding them.  The Claimant Count Change for July disappointed by leaping by 94,400, far worse than 10,000 …

Unemployment in Switzerland declined in July compared with its level in June, but remained higher by about 53% compared with its level in July 2019. The unemployment rate registered 3.2% last month, according to data by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The Swiss Franc (CHF) is declining …

European stocks closed higher on Monday, despite concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and tensions between the U.S. and China. The STOXX Europe 600 index closed higher by around 0.2%, shedding some of its gains earlier in the session. In London, the FTSE100 index added 0.31%, while the French CAC40 closed …

Job openings in the United States rose in June more than expected, as shown by data released on Monday. The new job openings increased to 5.89 million in June, from a revised 5.37 million in May, as per daya by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover …